One possible explanation:

I have in my area, a company who bribes vendor managers.  He travels the country, finding the man (or woman) in each company that pushes the button to send orders out and either flatly offers them money to do so or sends expensive gifts.  In one case, the VM actually gets $10.00 per order in cash each month.  In another, a $500.00 fishing reel.

Some outfits are aware of this problem and have addressed it from within - others are oblivious. 

The particular company I speak of now works in 14 states.  Common practices include faking deeds, removing pages from mortgages to make the recording fees work, changing the corporate name and existence after a claim, and operating under fictitious names and Tax numbers. His stated goal is to do the searches so cheap that his competitors will go out of business and he will then raise them ridiculously high.  Sounds crazy - but it is sure working for him.